Unfinished polyester fiberfill fibers exhibit fiber scroop and a rough hand due to high interfiber friction. It is known in the art that an silicone finish will lower interfiber friction and thereby make polyester fiberfill fibers acceptable for commercial uses where fiber scroop can be a problem. For example, Dacron Hollofil II available from E. I. duPont de Nemours is finished with a silicone which lowers the interfiber friction associated with fiberfill fibers and thereby imparts a soft, down-like, hand. However, silicone finishes adversely affect the flammability and latex bondability of polyester fiberfill fibers.
It is also known in the art of fabric finishing that a crosslinkable organic polymer, when applied to a synthetic fabric, will reduce the static electricity associated with such fabrics. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,053 to Kendrick discloses that an antistatic composition of a crosslinkable terpolymer of: (1) 5% to 10% of glycidyl methacrylate; (2) 35% to 55% of an alkali metal salt of a styrene sulfonate; and (3) 35% to 60% of methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate wherein the poly(ethylene glycol) chain has a molecular weight from 250 to 500, will reduce the static electricity of a synthetic fabric when applied as a finish. Likewise, French Pat. No. 1,427,787 discloses that a copolymer of: (1) from 2% to 20% of an ethylenically unsaturated epoxide or a corresponding methylol compound; with (2) from 98% to 80% of an ester of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and an alkylphenoxy polyethylene glycol, will reduce the static electricity or synthetic fabrics when applied to said fabrics as a fabric finish. Similarly, Swiss Pat. No. 513,282 discloses that a copolymer composed of: (1) from 80% to 90% of an ester of an alkyl polyethylene glycol having an alkyl residue with 1 to 3 carbon atoms and an average molecular weight of from 300 to 1000 and an ethylenically unsaturated polmerizable carboxylic acid; (2) 5% to 10% of a etherified N-methylolamide of an ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable carboxylic acid; and (3) 5% to 10% of an ethylenically unsaturated polymerizable compound containing at least one acid group capable of imparting solubility in water, e.g. acrylic acid; will reduce the static electricity associated with a synthetic fabric and enhance the soil release properties of such a fabric.